


Works of Art

by yodepalma



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Established Relationship, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Modern Art, Pointless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 14:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10878804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yodepalma/pseuds/yodepalma
Summary: Gladio doesn't get modern art.





	Works of Art

**Author's Note:**

> The described art works are vaguely sort of based on real pieces of art, namely this [circle thing](https://www.theartstory.org/images20/new_design/hp/ideas_and_critics.jpg) and the [wizardy thing](https://www.moma.org/interactives/annualreportFY16/assets/image/artist-member.jpg) on the right.  
> i found them by doing a google image search for "modern art" and boy was i not disappointed
> 
> This was _going_ to be a tiny ficlet about Gladio stealing Prompto's glasses, and then fucking rhymeswithpi derailed it. And the jerk is proud of hirself. Anyway, ze provided the art commentary for me.

_Works of Art_

Gladio has discovered that _nothing_ is quite as boring as an art exhibit. At least not of modern art. The last room had a painting of a big red circle and most of it wasn’t even _on the canvas_. And this…thing Noct has fallen asleep in front of is a bunch of multi-colored smears. With a face just floating in the middle of it. He’s decided it’s supposed to be a wizard; if he squints he can pretend the blue blob above the face is a pointy hat. Can’t be anything other than a wizard, right?

He sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets. Curls his fingers around his phone and mentally curses out the guard in the corner who’s already yelled at three people for things like ‘being disrespectful’ and ‘looking like you might take a picture’.

Gladio’s never been to an art exhibit before but he’s _pretty sure_ that’s not normal. He should complain on the way out.

He turns away from the creepy paint-smear wizard to check on Noct, who’s still passed out, and then run his eyes over the rest of the crowd. He’s almost disappointed that none of the weird art people are trying to get close to the prince. He would kill to have an excuse to drag Noct out.

A familiar head of blond hair catches his eye as Prompto wanders into the room, eyes intent on the first painting. If Gladio cared enough to ask, he’s sure Prompto could tell him all about the swooshy paint smears and the artist that made them. Pity he's not remotely interested.

He rocks back on his heels and keeps half an eye on the rest of the room as he waits for Prompto to get close enough for Gladio to bother him without leaving Noct unprotected. It takes a while. Prompto stops at every installation, reading all the plaques and sometimes chatting with people nearby.

Prompto's too distracted to notice him. Gladio sneaks up behind him, reaches over his head, and plucks his glasses right off his face.

"Hey!" Prompto yelps, spinning around. Gladio grins down at him, only getting to see his pout clearly for a second before he puts the glasses on his own face and everything turns blurry. "Gladio, I can't see!"

"Shit, neither can I," Gladio says, trying to look around the room. Everything is a giant blur, and he can feel a headache already starting. "Think it makes the art look better, though."

"Do you _have_ to be a jerk?" Prompto whines. Gladio takes off the glasses and admires his little scrunched up face. "Come on, I just wanted to see the new pieces."

"Oh, fine." Gladio carefully puts Prompto's glasses back where they belong, then boops his nose for good measure. "Better?"

"I _guess_." Prompto makes a face at him.

Gladio leans down to kiss his nose, putting both hands on his hips to pull him close. Kisses one cheek and then the other. Prompto whines a little and grabs Gladio's shoulders, tugs him in for a proper kiss and wraps his arms around Gladio's neck.

Someone clears their throat, obnoxious and _way_ too close. Gladio pulls away to glare at the guard he'd noticed earlier, who's wandered over and is glaring at them. "I fucking swear if you say something about 'disrespecting the art'—"

"You're bothering the other patrons, sir," the guard says snootily. Somehow, even though he's half a foot shorter than Gladio, he's managing to look down his nose at them. Like he thinks loitering around a roomful of shitty art all night makes him better than the Crownsguard.

"Nobody's looking at us," Gladio growls. Which is true. Nobody pays attention to a couple of guys kissing these days, and even if somebody in here were the type they're all too busy being stuck-up about paint smears to care.

The guard doesn't look impressed. Gladio rolls his eyes, but he doesn't want to start trouble so he backs away from Prompto just far enough for it to be 'decent'. It satisfies the guard and he wanders off to harass someone else.

"I'm really starting to hate that guy," Gladio mutters and Prompto snorts. "I guess if I can't kiss you, you should come meet my buddy Steve."

"Steve?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's a wizard—oh, what the fuck."

Prompto slaps a hand over his mouth but it doesn't hide his cackling laughter. A few people are standing around and staring at Noct, and Gladio's pretty sure he sees one of the women sneaking a picture of him. Where the fuck is that obnoxious guard when he's _needed_?  
  
"No, leave them alone!" Prompto whispers when Gladio takes a step towards them to shoo them away. "They think he's part of the installation."

"Are you shitting me?" Gladio grumbles, but he pauses to take a longer look and listen to what they're saying. Sure enough, the single guy is gesturing expansively as he blathers some bullshit about Noct representing the homeless problem and something about refugees. "I don't believe this."

"Now, his resemblance to _royalty_ ," the man continues in the most pompous tone Gladio has ever heard, "speaks of the failure of the ruling class to connect with the common man—"

"This is beautiful," Prompto says in a hushed voice. "Gladio, block me from that jerk's view so I can get a picture."

Gladio snorts but slides around to Prompto's other side, glancing over at the guard who's berating someone by the entrance for breathing too loud or something. The stupid shutter sound from Prompto's phone is drowned out by the man raising his voice to say, "We are the _same_ , we are all _people_ —"

"I can't take any more of this," Gladio says. He stomps forward and shakes Noct awake.

"Is't over?" Noct asks, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Yeah, sure," Gladio says. "Since you've apparently become a conversation piece."

"I got a picture for you," Prompto says brightly, holding up his phone.

"Cool." Noct's eyes are already falling shut again, so Gladio grabs his arm and yanks him off the bench. "I'm _up_."

"Then get moving," Gladio grumbles. He keeps his hand wrapped around Noct's elbow to make sure he doesn't wander off. Prompto swings around to Noct's other side and grabs his other arm, snickering as he does.

"You can't just make the homeless disappear," the wannabe art critic shouts after them. "You can paint over the graffiti and rename the slums but they're still slums!"

"What's that about?" Noct asks. "Is he _drunk_?"

"I wish I was," Gladio says. "And, no, I'm not taking you to a bar, so don't even ask."

"Diner," Noct corrects him. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Yeah, sleeping is such hard work," Gladio mutters, but he changes direction for the diner anyway. Maybe it'll be early enough they'll still have some of the pie from Lucy's left.

It's not a long walk, but after standing around the museum all night he's relieved to slide into the booth at their usual table in a back corner. He puts an arm around Prompto's shoulders and presses a line of kisses down his cheek until he huffs and turns into the kiss.

"You two are disgusting," Noct says.

"Sorry, did you want a kiss too?" Prompto asks him, pulling away from Gladio to lean over the table.

"Didn't know that was on the table." Noct grins. Gladio's sure they're both joking, but to be safe he yanks Prompto back toward him.

"It's _not_ ," Gladio says as Prompto leans against him and laughs. "I should've left you to be ogled in the museum."

"Your dad would've fired you," Noct points out. "And I think that might be treason."

"It'd be worth it," Gladio says.  
  
Prompto pats his thigh. "Don't worry, big guy, you know the only one I really want to kiss is you. Even if Noct literally is a work of art now."

**Author's Note:**

> it's okay, gladio. i don't get modern art either.


End file.
